Superheroes
by CriesofCapricorn
Summary: “Jack Shepard was always fond of superheroes’ stories.” Post “Do No Harm,” after failing to save Boone, Jack finally understands superheroes, no matter how much he wants them to, just don’t exist. Jackcentric one shot.


"Jack Shepard was always fond of superheroes' stories."

Post "Do No Harm," after failing to save Boone, Jack finally understands superheroes, no matter how much he wants them to, just don't exist. Jack-centric one shot.

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Jack Shepard was always fond of superheroes' stories.

When Jack was a tiny kid, he used to become enthralled with the superheroes in the movies like nothing else. And his obsession didn't even stop at the movies.

He would become enamored with the cartoons about superheroes. Every Saturday morning little Jack would wake up at the crack of dawn to watch his favorite cartoons featuring Superman, Spiderman, Batman, X-men, and everything in between. Every Saturday morning, still in his pajamas, he would creep downstairs to where the television was, sit on the couch crossed-leg, and get lost in the outrageous adventures of his beloved TV personas. Jack would even hide stacks of comic books in his drawers and under his bed, taking them out only when his imagination was particularly running wild.

And from then on, like many other boys of his age, Jack, more than anything else, wanted to be a hero, himself. He wanted to fight the evil of the world, he wanted to defeat the weekly villain, and he wanted serve justice. Ultimately, though, he wanted to save lives.

That's why Jack always looked up to his dad. Every night, when Jack's father came home, he would be worn and exhausted. But when Jack raised his little head to meet him face to face, the boy couldn't help but smile. His daddy was a good man.

His father was his role model and Jack wanted to be just like him when he grew up. He wanted to rescue people. He'd be a Superman to a Lois. A Spiderman to a Mary Jane. It was this childhood ambition that got Jack through Med School, excelling at every class he took.

And despite everything else that changed, this one aspiration of his never did. Jack's father ceased to be his role model once he learned he was operating a person while drunk, killing her. He no longer looked up to him, though he still loved him in every way. And of course, Jack, at an older age, no longer was able to watch cartoons anymore. But he still wanted to save lives. _That_ never changed. Not even on the island.

In fact, it was on the island that people needed the most help. On the dreadful island, now, Jack had to perform on individuals at a second's notice, without the proper tools or technology. It was here where Jack's medical skills were truly tested. And every time trouble arose, Jack was able to stop it. On the actual day of the plane crash, he revived Rose and he tried his best to heal the others.

From that day on, he aided countless of others. Sawyer with his eyes. Sayid when he returned from his encounter with the French woman. Charlie when he was hung – even then, Jack refused to give up. His fierce fist pounded upon Charlie's chest about thousand times with no avail to resuscitate him, but Jack wouldn't let himself give in. And it worked, amazingly – Charlie's eyes popped wide open and as he took a huge breath of air, Jack propped him up gently – glad he didn't yield to defeat. He even resorted to torture to retrieve Shannon her asthma medication; something that he is not very proud of, but convinces himself that Sawyer asked for it – he could have just told them from the start that he didn't have the medication.

It was the night Boone died that twisted Jack's heart into hundreds of positions. Boone wasn't supposed to die. Jack had him survive an entire day and things were only supposed to improve from then on. The doctor did absolutely everything he could have done. He demanded to obtain a good needle – which Sun thankfully retrieved for him. He commanded Charlie to ask everyone on the island about their blood type. When Claire went into labor, he entrusted Kate to deliver the baby, knowing he couldn't leave Boone for a minute or else he would surely die. Jack watched the sun set that day through misty eyes, for the blood transfusion he gave Boone left him light-headed and tired. But Jack refused to give up. He was even _this_ close to amputating Boone's leg, thinking it was the only chance they had to save his life. And if Boone's meager voice didn't stop him, he's sure he would have gone through with it.

It was the night Boone died that Jack realized he's been foolish all along. Superheroes. He finally understands what a real superhero is. A superhero is a damn idiot. A superhero is someone who tries his best to save the world, but can't even save the people around him. Superman and Spiderman may save the town every day, but it's Clark Kent and Peter Parker that ultimately lose out. They're the ones that suffer. And, unfortunately, Jack doesn't have a cape or a mask to hide his pain behind.

Through all these years, Jack's deluded himself into believing superheroes can do anything.

But, finally, now, as Jack closes a still Boone's eyes, and thinking back on all he's ever done as a doctor, he knows that while there is an overwhelmingly fair amount of evils polluting the world, there are really no true superheroes to stop it.

Not even him.


End file.
